It seemed an unlikely concept for a comedy – a play based on two film extras and a way to commit suicide, but “Stones in His Pocket” has become one of the most successful contemporary Irish plays and has toured the world. Now its authorship is the subject of a far from amusing courtroom drama currently running in London’s High Court. Close friends and collaborators for many years, Marie Jones and Pam Brighton sit just feet apart in the courtroom, but the dialogue is all through their lawyers now.
Brighton claims she is the co-author of the play. Jones says this is “preposterous”. Brighton compared the creation of a play with the baking of a cake. The writing was the icing, she explained. She is claiming damages and an injunction requiring her to be credited as co-author. She also wants her theatre company, Dubbeljoint, credited.
The play was written for the West Belfast Festival in 1996. Jones, whose name still appears as its sole author on Dubbeljoint’s website, was to write the script, Brighton was to direct the play. In the end, she said, her contribution was “above and beyond” the usual. “Marie and I were incredibly close creatively,” said Brighton. “I do not think I ever contributed so much to a script as I did to this one.”
Three years later, the play was revived at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. This time, Ian McIlhenny, Jones’ husband, was the director. The reviewers loved it. It was set on its trajectory to the bright lights of Broadway and the West End. Jones claims that the play was completely rewritten for the new run. Brighton claims a “substantial” part of the old production was included, and that notes written by her were crucial. Jones admitted on Friday that she had used some of Brighton’s suggestions. She has, however, described Brighton’s efforts to write dialogue as “useless”.
They say in theatre, where there’s a hit, there’s a writ. Jones said on Friday that she didn’t consider paying royalties to her former company when she revived the play because “even in my wildest dreams” she didn’t expect the play to take off in the way it did. It was meant to run for a month at the Lyric. “That is all it was ever meant to be,” she said. In fact, the play has generated millions of pounds.
Author Shane Connaugton is also accusing Jones, “not legally, but morally.” He said it was his 1995 book, “A Border Diary” which gave Jones her starting point, and that she had relied heavily on it. “The play would not exist without the book,” he said. He said the title came from his explanation that a “classic” rural Irish way to commit suicide was “ to walk into a lake wearing Wellington boots and stones in your pockets.”
Jones and Brighton are both formidable figures in the Belfast theatre scene. Jones, from Belfast’s Shankill Road, was a co-founder of the ground breaking Charabanc company, set up in 1983 to provide good roles for women. Brighton, who is from Bradford, came to NI to direct for Charabanc. She later trained as a barrister. In 1991, the pair were co-founders of Dubbeljoint, which is still very much a community based, low budget company. Several of its plays have been highly political and controversial. Jones has written several other very successful plays, including “A Night in November.”
The row has divided the Belfast theatre community, many members of which remember parties in the house Brighton and Jones once shared. Jones, who owns the house, has extensively expanded and revamped it since then. “Most people are just sad about this,” said one director. “But I expect there’ll be a play out of it.” He didn’t want to be named. “It’s too small a world,” he said.
